The tell-tale signs that the end is near are evident in the plump, curling petals, but the beauty and signs of a life well lived is equally apparent. So while it was a beautiful rose it is also still a beautiful rose. Just as there is beauty in youth, there is also beauty in age. (This is a re-post from May 26, 2011)

It Was A Very Good Life

Old is when regrets take the place of dreams.

Rose Petal Ride

The roses below were fresh birthday flowers less than two weeks ago. Maybe it's the artist in me that appreciates them as they've aged. I love their texture, the shapes, and all the earth tone colors. Far from looking like the roses we traditionally cherish, I still see so much beauty in them.

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were? ~Satchel Paige

It is possible at any age to discover a lifelong desire you never knew you had. ~Robert Brault

Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty - they merely move it from their faces into their hearts. ~Martin Buxbaum

I complain that the years fly past, but then I look in a mirror and see that very few of them actually got past. ~Robert Brault

We've put more effort into helping folks reach old age than into helping them enjoy it. ~Frank A. Clark

I am old enough to see how little I have done in so much time, and how much I have to do in so little. ~Sheila Kaye-Smith

True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country. ~Kurt Vonnegut

"The older I grow, the more I listen to people who don't say much. "~ Germain G. Glidden

"Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too selfish to seek other than itself."Khalil Gibran

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Inspired Beeing - Catherine Jaffee studying honey bees in Turkey

Amely-James KOH BELA is fighting child trafficking in Africa and throughout several continents. Read my interview with her.

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Mahoot Elephant training in Thailand with Kaew,

Adorable French girl growing up in Africa with wildlife photography parents - more pictures of Tippi Degre

I visited the Tiger Temple in Thailand & later found out it is under investigation for tiger trafficking and animal abuse. Read full story. In 2015 it was raided. More than 100 tigers and protected bird species in Wat Pa Luang Ta Bua, popularly known as the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi province were impounded by authorities following complaints that the temple was alleged to engage in illegal wildlife trading.